United States plans to leave around 400 military in Syria

Sunday, February 24, 2019 9:00:35 AM

A number of news agencies, referring to a high-ranking representative of the U.S. presidential administration, reported that after the withdrawal of armed forces from Syria, the United States intends to leave about 400 troops in the country, writes Deutsche Welle.

Earlier, the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said that Washington wants a small peacekeeping group of about 200 to remain in Syria for a certain period of time. She explained that this would help to "protect peace" in the region.

In August 2014, an international coalition led by the United States launched an operation against the jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In September of the same year, the coalition struck first blows at the ISIL facilities in Syria.

In December 2018, the U.S. President, Donald Trump, announced that all the United States troops will be withdrawn from Syria because the victory over the terrorists had already been won.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, and the United States Special Representative for Syria Engagement, Brett McGurk, disagreed with this decision and resigned shortly after the Trump's statement.

In January 2019, the U.S. Secretary of State and the coalition spokesperson, Michael Pompeo, announced that the U.S. armed forces had begun to depart from Syria. Washington did not disclose details of the withdrawal plan, citing security concerns.